FAQs

How do I reserve an event space?

Preliminary contact and event information is taken at the time of booking to create a reservation in our system. We require a signed contract two weeks after booking. The first deposit is due 30 days after booking; a second deposit for weddings is due 60 days prior to the event. All wedding deposits are non-refundable upon receipt.

What is a food and beverage minimum?

All of our private event spaces are rented per food and beverage minimums. As long as the minimum is met in hosted, catered food and beverage served in the event space throughout the event, there is no room fee. If the minimum is not met, the difference would be owed as a room rental fee. Please note, only hosted food and beverages apply toward the minimum. Cash bar sales do not apply. Additional fees such as the service charge, rental items, corkage fees etc. do not apply. Sales tax, where applicable, does not apply.

Does the service charge apply toward the minimum?

No. Only hosted, catered food and beverage served in the event space during the event applies toward the minimum.

What is included in the rental of the event space?

We provide a full catering staff including bartenders, event set up and break down, basic linens, plates, glassware and flatware, indoor tables and chairs. Please note, items needing to be rented will incur additional charges.

What is your deposit policy?

For corporate and social events, we require 50% of the food and beverage minimum 30 days after booking. The deposit is non-refundable 30 days prior to the event for corporate and social events, and 60 days prior to the event for holiday parties.

Weddings require 25% of the food and beverage minimum 30 days after booking with the remaining 75% due 60 days prior to the event date. All wedding deposits are non-refundable upon receipt. We do not accept personal checks.

When is my final payment due?

For corporate and social events, final payment for all outstanding charges is due upon the conclusion of the event. For weddings, payment for any outstanding charges contracted beyond the food and beverage minimums is due seven business days prior to the event. We do not accept personal checks.

Can I bring in my own caterer / outside food?

No. McMenamins will provide the catering for all event spaces. You are welcome to bring in a traditional tiered wedding cake as long as it is from a licensed and health inspected bakery. Further exceptions regarding desserts may apply depending on the property where you are holding your event. Please speak with your sales coordinator for further information.

Can you accommodate specialty menus, food allergies and dietary restrictions?

Yes! We are happy to work with you to create the best menu for your special event. We have experience with all sorts of requests from vegetarians, vegans, those with nut allergies, gluten free meals, as well as traditional dishes and recipes from many different cultures. Please speak to your sales coordinator for further details.

Can I bring in outside wine?

Yes! While our own Edgefield Winery makes a large variety of wine, we understand at times extra special events require an extra special bottle of wine or champagne. We charge a $15.00 per 750ml bottle corkage fee plus applicable service charge for each bottle opened during your event. The corkage fee and service charge does not apply toward the food and beverage minimum for your event space.

Can I purchase a keg of beer for my event?

We do not sell beer by the keg for events held onsite at a McMenamins property. We do, however, sell kegs to go from many of our breweries for events taking place elsewhere.

What is the pricing for beer and wine? I don’t see it in the catering menus.

Each property will match the current pricing offered in its restaurants and bars in the catering spaces. Current beverage pricing can be found online on each property’s restaurant, pub and/or small bars menus.

Is my Sales Coordinator at McMenamins the same as a Wedding Coordinator?

Not exactly. Your sales coordinator will help with all McMenamins related aspects of your event such as booking your event space and guest rooms, menu planning, set up, timelines and so on. Your sales coordinator can also assist you by referring other preferred event resources such as florists, bakers, event rental companies, entertainment and more. If you are looking for a coordinator to help you with decorating, dressing and so on during your special day, we would be happy to refer you to a private wedding coordinator.

Is wedding rehearsal time included with my booking?

It is not. You are more than welcome to check in with your sales coordinator the week prior to your event to see if the space is available for rehearsal; however, there is no guarantee of availability.

Do you offer menu tastings?

We do not. Food prepared in an individual serving for a tasting is not prepared the same way as a menu item prepared for a large group of guests. Therefore it would be a misrepresentation of what you will see and taste at your event. We can, however, give you recommendations based on our experience, and describe the preparation, flavor, texture and ingredients.

Are DJ’s, bands and other forms of entertainment allowed?

Are children allowed in the event space if we will have a bar in the room?

Yes. If there are pool tables in your event space, children cannot be allowed near them, but can be in other designated areas of the event space.

Are animals allowed?

Yes! We are happy to say pets are now allowed on many of our properties. Please speak to your sales coordinator regarding which properties allow pets, and where they are allowed on property.

Do you provide group discounts on hotel rooms?

We lowered our hotel room rates several years ago to offer the best value possible to all guests, therefore we discontinued additional group discounts. Please speak to your sales coordinator to obtain current guest room rates.

What time is check in?

Check in starts at 3:00pm. Check out is 11:00am. We are happy to request early check in on your reservation; however this is not guaranteed and is often dependant on the guest staying prior to your arrival. If you require a guest room to dress or otherwise prepare for your event, we highly suggest reserving a room the night before the event to insure early access to your guest room.

Planning Toolbox

Green Initiatives

Since McMenamins' early days, recycling has been handled on a pub-by-pub basis and varies from property to property. We employ two environmental coordinators (one of whom has held this position for more than 15 years) who oversee reducing, reusing and recycling the company's waste. We also work to prevent energy waste and promote energy savings and efficiency.

Recycling:

We recycle scrap paper, office paper, newspaper, magazines, cardboard, aseptic containers (milk cartons and drink boxes), plastic bottles and jugs, plastic tubs and buckets, plastic bags and shrink wrap, metals (including tin, aluminum, aerosol cans and any other metals), colored glass jars and bottles, block Styrofoam packaging, wine bottle cork (donated to SCRAP, a Portland nonprofit that teaches art programs in the city's public schools), electronic and computer equipment, oil from our fryers and grains left over from the brewing process (which go to a local hog farmer). We can also provide resources for people who are interested in recycling materials from an event they are having at one of our properties.

The oil we use in Edgefield's Black Rabbit Restaurant is already a recycled product; it's derived from rice bran, a by-product of milling rice.

We reuse Edgefield wine bottles and packaging peanuts.

We use copy paper with the highest post-consumer recycled content; menus are printed on paper with 30% post consumer waste.

Composting:

Thanks to composting programs started by the cities of Portland and Seattle, we are able to recover food items (kitchen trimmings, plate scrapings, meat, bones, fish, dairy products and baked goods) and uncoated foil-soiled paper (paper towels, napkins, waxed cardboard, pizza boxes, coffee grounds and filters). The materials are composted at a facility in Cedar Grove, Washington. The product is then sold as compost and soil amendments at retailers such as Home Depot.

Whole muscle pork (loin, chops, and so on) is sourced almost exclusively from Carlton Farms in Carlton, Oregon, which produces low(er) fat hogs fed on a hormone-free diet.

Halibut is wild-caught and only served fresh and in season. Wild salmon can be requested for catered events; otherwise, it is farm-raised Atlantic salmon.

Edgefield's Black Rabbit Restaurant has strong relationships with four local organic growers and proudly features their products.

Edgefield's catering department uses mushrooms from Hood River Organic. They use organic baby lettuces in salad mix whenever possible. Plated dinner vegetable sides are harvested whenever possible from the Edgefield Gardens (grown using organic methods) or selected from the seasonal offerings of our organic growers. Edgefield is able to prepare all-organic menus for catered events by special request.

In 2009, the Black Rabbit used 1 ton of harvested fruit and 2.5 tons of vegetables from our Edgefield Gardens for the Black Rabbit Restaurant. Two tons of estate-grown pears were also used in our handcrafted Pear Brandy at the Edgefield Distillery.

Earth-Friendly Brewing:

Waste products including the "spent grain," used hop flowers, berries and brewers yeast are given to local farmers for reuse as livestock feed.

Nylon malt bags are collected for gardening, sandbagging and eco-construction.

Wooden bungs used to seal kegs are chipped into a nutrient-rich garden compost.

Pallets and slip-boards used to transport kegs are returned to the distributor and reused.

Five-gallon buckets used to hold everything from cleaning agents to fruit products are reused in the pubs to recycle oil and glass.

Much of the brewing equipment is purchased second-hand and retrofitted to suit McMenamins' needs. In fact, most of the small-brewery fermenters began their service overseas in England.

Kegs are purchased from other breweries or industrial recycling plants.